During my quiet time over the weekend, I decided to read some psalms. I love the book of Psalms because it contains words of true worship to God. As I was reading this beautiful portion of the Bible, I got to Psalm 27:11 and I paused.
“Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.”
When I read this verse, I paused because of the words, “level path”. “Does God really take us on a level path”, I wondered. I read other translations and the words “smooth path”, “plain path”, “right path” were some of the expressions used in place of “level path”.
So I wondered again; “Has God really taken me on a smooth path?” My interpretation of a smooth path is a path that has no bumps or potholes. It is a straight path with no ditches or impediments. Relating that to my life so far, I cannot describe the path God has taken me through as being a smooth one. There have been many challenges. I have fallen into ditches so many times. Sometimes I didn’t even believe I would get up from those ditches. Each time I fell, I always thought it would be the end.
I would look at some of my friends who I considered to be going on a smooth path and I used to resent them. Of course I wish my friends well, I just didn’t understand why things couldn’t go smoothly for me as it was for them. Life fell into place for them in my own opinion. They finished university, went for Masters, got a good job at a renowned firm, found love, got married and started to give birth to children. I wanted that for myself too.
Many times I questioned God. Why was He punishing me? What did I ever do to offend Him? Have you ever felt that way before? Have you ever wished to live a better life than you are living now? I mean; it’s time you stopped earning that meagre salary and started earning the big bucks. It’s time for you to stop hopping from one danfo to the next and start driving your own car. You have been on this struggle long enough. It’s time to move higher.
Again, I’ll take you back to Psalm 27:11. The New Living Translation uses the words “right path” instead of smooth path and I love that particular translation. The truth is, no matter how horrible the path you are on looks, it is the right path for you. Just as God created us to be unique, He also created unique paths for us. The fact that things went a particular way for your neighbour does not mean that they will happen the same way for you. It also doesn’t mean that something is wrong with you or God is just being mean to you. Remember His thoughts for you are thoughts of good. So that path you’re on right now is the right path for you.
Psalm 27 is a prayer of guidance. Wherever you are in life, you need God’s guidance. I love the part where David said
“Teach me your way”. He was ready to move in whatever direction God wanted Him to go. As long as God was leading Him, He was ready to go. Are you are that point where you can trust that God knows what He is doing by taking you through that rough path? Do you have enough faith to believe that it will eventually work for your good? I look back at all the hurdles I have faced and I have discovered that they all worked together for my good. Even though the experiences were painful, they made me a better person. They give me a different perspective to life and they allowed me to reach out to people who were going through the same hurdles.
Stay on the path God has put you on. There is light at the end of that dark tunnel.
Don’t be discouraged, just hold on.
About the Writer: Adedoyin Jaiyesimi is a Writer, Media Content Creator and Brand Manager. The various publications she has written for include Y! Magazine (now Y! Africa), Discovery, Pride Magazine Nigeria, Butterscotch magazine amongst others. She currently holds the position of Brand Communications Manager at Victor Adeyemi Ministries and she is also the founder of LRouge Media, an editorial and brand consultancy company which provides content writing and editing services for business websites, magazines and blogs. When she is not creating content, you can find her in church doing the work of her Father. She tweets @msdoyeen and blogs at
www.adedoyinjaiyesimi.wordpress.com .
